Big News: MUNCHIES Is Publishing Its First Cookbook

You asked, we listened. Behold our first cookbook, inspired by 'Chef’s Night Out.'

Scroll down to preorder MUNCHIES: Late-Night Meals from the World's Best Chefs!

The first episode experiment seemed simple enough.

A few VICE cameramen would follow David Chang around New York City for an evening as he hit up some of his favorite restaurants. Crispy, spicy and sweet Korean-fried chicken and pints of beer—served from a keg the size of a toddler—were had at by all at Mad For Chicken before Dave and friends (Lucky Peach co-founder Peter Meehan and former Momofuku PR guru Sue Chan) stumbled back to Ssam Bar. There, Dave would drunkenly make his signature pork buns while legendary chef José Andrés, who showed up on a whim, mocked Chang. As he generously brushed hoisin between steamed buns, he waxed poetic to us about his philosophy on late-night munchies: "What's your favorite thing to eat before you go to bed when you're drunk as shit? What are you gonna say? Ox tail, fucking bone marrow? Bullshit. It's that fucking crappy-ass piece of pizza you ate." Dave, we couldn't agree more.

Danny Bowien's Mapo Tofu Crab. Photo by Brayden Olson.

That first episode birthed our video series—then titled "MUNCHIES." Since then, we've filmed more than 130 episodes and changed the name to Chef's Night Out. This show even inspired the creation of our website, MUNCHIES. We've traveled the world and hung out with incredible chefs, from Moscow to Tokyo, Copenhagen, Mexico City, and beyond, drinking and eating like there's no tomorrow.

Christina Tosi's Seven Layer Dip. Photo by Brayden Olson.

That's why we're excited to announce our very first cookbook: MUNCHIES: Late-Night Meals from the World's Best Chefs, which captures all of the incredible wee hour meals we've experienced with your favorite chefs. Penned by cookbook author J.J. Goode, myself, and the editors of MUNCHIES, this cookbook is both your glossary to stories from some of the best moments on the show—from that night Erik Anderson (formerly of Catbird Seat) drank more Fernet than we thought was humanly possible, to the time Enrique Olvera drunkenly made quesadillas with a sharp kitchen knife, something no one should ever recreate.

It is also a collection of recipes to fuel the greatest eating and drinking nights in your future. We've divided the chapters of the book into sections so that you can have the most delicious night of your life: "Drinks" to get your night started; "Things with Tortillas," because nachos, tacos, burritos, and seven layer dip cannot be tamed; "Hardcore" for the point in the evening when you can't remember how many cocktails you've had and you just want everyone to know how much you love them (pizzas, nachos, poutines, and more); and, of course, the "Morning After" (all the hangover cures and dishes for your bleary-eyed dawn.)

Pizza! Photo by Brayden Olson.

All of these recipes come straight from the hands and minds of 65 of the world's best chefs, including Anthony Bourdain, Dominique Crenn, David Chang, Danny Bowien, Wylie Dufresne, Iñaki Aizpitarte, and Enrique Olvera, among others. Frankly, there's too many to count.

Cover photo by Brayden Olson.

Set for a fall 2017 release on Ten Speed Press, you can pre-order the book from your favorite retailer, but here's a few links below.

Until then, feed your appetite and catch up on your favorite Chef's Night Out episodes here.